Reel loader for photo film



March 28, 1961 A. w. SROKA REEL LOADER FOR PHOTO FILM Filed April 30, 1959 FORWARD RIG-HT FovzwAzg LEFT J A fra /vs Y United States Patent REEL LOADER FOR PHDTO FILM Anthony W. Sroka, Horse Cave, Ky. (Hq. USAFE, DCS/INTEL, APO 12, New York, NY.)

Filed Apr. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 809,954 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-771) This invention relates to improvements in means for placing an exposed strip of photographic film on a reel in a dark room.

The inner sides of the usual reel for holding strip film for developing and fixing, have flanges extending toward each other to form a track beginning adjacent the reel axle and extending spirally in spaced relation to a point on the periphery of the reel where the film is to be fed on the reel, the purpose of the track being to hold the film at uniform spacing of all parts thereof for ready and equal access of the developing and fixing solutions. For various reasons, the length of such spiral track is made closely equal to the standard length of a film with a given number of possible exposures. Hence, film of such length must fully occupy the track if all of the film is to be held in properly spaced position. The film must fit into the track sufficiently closely so that it cannot be displaced during the development and fixing operations and some force must be exerted on the film to cause it to feed along the varying radius of the track so that its forward end will be brought adjacent the reel axle.

Applying sufiicient force to push a film endwise toward the center of the reel is difficult as the film can be grasped without damage only by spanning the film with the hand and even then may be damaged if the fingers are contaminated with the developing or fixing solutions. Feeding film endwise on a reel, without contamination and in a dark room, is difficult with black and white film and is even more diflicult for color film which must be handled in as nearly absolute darkness as possible. Danger of damaging the film tor contaminating it with developing or fixing solutions is alleviated if means are provided for mechanically engaging the film so that endwise pressure may be exerted thereon without deforming the film, without any contact of the fingers therewith and which can be used to release the film if the film should jam in the reel at any point of its length thereon.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the film feeder;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film feeder to show the relationship of prongs extending from one face of the feeder and the flange between the prongs.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the film feeder with one set of prongs engaging the outermost turn of film on the reel;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the feeder with one set of prongs engaging the outermost turn of film on a reel;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 with another set of prongs capable of engaging the film perforations in all of the turns; and

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Figure 6 diagrammatically illustrates the direction of the forces to be applied to the film by means of the longer set of prongs if the film jams in its movement onto the reel.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the film feeder comprises a body 10 of generally rectangular shape which is of a width to fit loosely between opposite reel flanges forming the spiral track, and a length for convenient grasping by the user. The ends 11 of the feeder body are preferably indented and ribbed for more secure handling of the feeder and the feeder body is arched lengthwise to conform approximately to the curvature of the periphery of a reel. The body 10 of the feeder may be made of a synthetic resin or metal and either as a solid block or hollow so long as it provides sutficient bulk to be grasped, is readily cleaned if it becomes contaminated with developing or fixing solutions and provides suificient strength for prongs extending therefrom. The sides 12 of the feeder may also be ribbed but the faces 13 and 14 thereof are preferably smooth to reduce the possibility that film might be damaged if either of such sides. come into contact therewith. The feeder body may, of course, be made of corrosion-resistive metal or of plastic with corrosionresistive metal prongs imbedded in and extending therefrom.

Prongs 18, 19 extend from the four corners ofthe concave face 13 with the sides of the prongs formed as continuation of the respective body sides 12 so that the relative positions of such prongs will be known to the user by sense of touch when grasping the feeder. The prongs 18, 19 are bent adjacent their juncture with the feeder body so that the center line on each prong is on a radius from the axis of the reel through the perforations in the film whereby the set of prongs 18, 19 may freely enter and be withdrawn from the perforations. The sides 12 of the feeder body extend beyond the face 13of the body to provide fiange-likeportions 20, which side flanges may rest along the edges of a film 25 and thus prevent contact of the feeder body face 13 with the portion of the film having the undeveloped picture thereon. The film 25 is in the usual strip form with a row of perforations adjacent each longitudinal edge.

The spacing of the pairs of prongs 18, 19 along a side 12 is preferably such that the feeder spans five or more film perforations, thus providing a length of film such that force applied to the feeder by Way of its prongs 18, 19 will not affect the action of other prongs. The prongs 18, 19 are of a length slightly greater than the thickness of the film in which they are to engage but the set of prongs 18, 19 cannot simultaneously engage two turns of the film when on the reel.

Another set of prongs 21, 22 extends from the feeder face 14 substantially midway its length and their outer surfaces are also flush with the body sides 12. Such prongs are straight and of a length to extend from the outermost turn of the film to the innermost turn of the film on a substantially filled reel. Prongs 21, 22 extend perpendicularly from a plane tangent to the convex face 14 of the feeder body and at substantially its longitudinal midpoint. The ends of all prongs are rounded for easy entry into the film perforations and have cross-sectional dimensions to enter and leave the perforations easily.

The reels 3t) have sides which are only an open frame and the reel has an entry point on the periphery thereof which requires slight arching of the film as it passes therethrough. After the film has passed the reel entry point, however, the natural resilience of the film flattens it to ride on the flanges extending from the reel sides and forming the spiral track. After the film has been started on the reel, it is no longer touched directly by the hands but is wholly moved by use of the feeder. The set of prongs 18, 19 are engaged in the film perforations preferably adjacent the point of entry of the film into the reel and the film is drawn into the reel and pushed around the track until the entry point for the film is reached. The feeder is then withdrawn and again re-engaged with the film and the film is again pulled onto the reel and positioned around the track until the entering end of the film seats at the axle 31 of the reel.

The reels are made to have close clearance with the edges of the film so that it is possible for any turn of film after the first complete turn to jam in the track. When a jam occurs, the feeder is reversed to pass the long prongs 21, 22 through the outermost layer or turn of the film and the feeder is moved first to the left until motion is stopped. The next step is to move the prongs inward through the next layer or turn of film and then to move toward the right until motion is stopped. The alternate pressure on the portions of the film engaged by the prongs 21, 22 releases any binding in the track of the reel. The staggered action of the feeder subjects the film to both lateral and forward forces applied alternately to the two edges of the film, and has never failed to release binding of the film within applicants experience in the use of the device and acting on two or three turns of the film is usually sufficient. The forces to be exerted in the releasingoperation are diagrammatically shown in Figure 6. When using the feeder as above described, the initial motion may be in either direction provided that the second motion is in the opposite direction so that pressure on the film is in alternate directions.

The prongs 21, 22 are then passed through the perforations of the next turn of the film and the feeder is again given its alternating left-forWard-right and right-forwardleft movements to exert alternating pressures along the two edges of the film of the second turn and to release it if that turn should be binding, while the outermost turn is held in its released position. The above actions may be repeated for turn by turn of the film until the entire length of the prongs 21, 22 passes through the film perforations. However, I have found that releasing binding of a few turns of film is usually sufficient so that the feeder may be reversed and the prongs 18, 19 again used whereupon it is likely that a considerable portion of the remaining length of the film or the whole thereof to be fed on the reel, will move to its finally wound position.

To aid in finding the feeder in a dark room, an insert 33 of phosphorescent material may be placed in an end '11 or both ends thereof, where it will be covered by the fingers and not affect the undeveloped film.

The present device is effective in feeding film on the reel whether the film is wet or dry so that dark room procedure is free from limitations otherwise present. After the film is initially started on the reel, there is no need for touching the film directly with the hands and the hands are kept a safe distance from the film so that the film will not be spoiled unless the fingers are dripping wet with one of the dark room solutions. The width of the feeder is related to the slot defined by the reel sides so that there is no danger that a prong end will be scraped over the portions of the film on which the picture will appear.

I claim:

1. In a device for the feeding of exposed photographic film having edge perforations in endwise relation onto the spiral track of a reel for developing and fixing the film, a feeder comprising a body of a width to enter the space between the sides of the reel and of a length to be grasped by a hand and spanning a number of'film perforations, first prongs extending from one face of the body for entry into the film perforations, the first prongs being of a length engageable only with one turn of the film on the reel, and second prongs extending from another face of the film and being of a length engageable with all the turns of film on a partially filled reel.

2. In a device for the feeding of exposed photographic film having edge perforations in endwise relation onto the spiral track of a cylindrical reel for developing and fixing the film, a feeder comprising a substantially rectangular body of a width to enter the space between the sides of the reel and of a length to be grasped by a hand and spanning a number of film perforations, the body being arcuate lengthwise on substantially the radius of the reel to provide a concave face, first prongs extending from the concave face of the body for entry into the film perforations, the first prongs being of a length engageable only with one turn of the film on the reel, and second prongs extending from another face of the body and being of a length engageable with all the turns of the film on a partially filled reel.

3. In a device for the feeding of exposed photographic film having edge perforations in endwise relation onto the spiral track of a reel for developing and fixing the film, a feeder comprising a substantially rectangular body of a width to enter the space between the sides of the reel and of a length to be grasped by a hand and spanning a number of film perforations, first prongs extending from the corners of one face of the body for entry into the film perforations, the body having side flanges extending therefrom between the first prongs for hearing of the side flanges on the film along the edges thereof, the first prongs being of a length engageable only with one turn of the film on the reel, and second prongs extending from another face of the film and of a length engageable with all the turns of film on a partially filled reel.

' 4. In a device for the feeding of exposed photographic film having edge perforations in endwise relation onto the spiral track of a cylindrical reel for developing and fixing the film, a feeder comprising a substantially rectangular body of a width to enter the space between the sides of the reel and of a length to be grasped by a hand and spanning a number of film perforations, the body being arcuate lengthwise on susbtantially the radius of the reel, first prongs extending from the four corners of the concave face of the body for entry in pairs into the film perforations along both edges of the film, and second prongs extending from another face of the body and of a length engageable with all the turns of the film on a partially filled reel.

5. In a device for the feeding of exposed photographic film having edge perforation in endwise relation onto the spiral track of a reel for developing and fixing the film, a feeder comprising a body of a Width to enter the space between the sides of the reel and of a length to be grasped by a hand and spanning a number of film perforations, first prongs extending from the corners of one face of the body for entry into the fihn perforations, the first prongs being of a length engageable only with one turn of the film on the reel and being bent to bring the center lines of the major portions thereof along radii of the reel, and second prongs extending from another face of the film and of a length engageable with all the turns of film On a partially filled reel.

6. In a device for the feeding of exposed photographic film having edge perforations in endwise relation onto the spiral track of a reel for developing and fixing the film, a feeder comprising a body of a Width to enter the space between the sides of the reel and of a lengthto be grasped by a hand and spanning a number of film perforations, first prongs extending in pairs from one face of the body for entry into the film perforations, the first prongs being of a length engageable only with'one turn of the film on the reel, and a pair of second prongs extending at right angles to another side of the body and at substantially midway of the length thereof.

7. In a device for the feeding of exposed photographic film having edge perforations in endwise relation onto the spiral track of a reel for developing and fixing the film, a feeder comprising a body of a width to enter the space between the sides of the reel and of a length to be grasped by a hand and spanning a number of film perforations, first prongs extending from one face of the body for entry into the film perforations, the first prongs being of a length engageable only with one turn of the film on the reel, second prongs extending from another face of 10 2,533,263

the film and of a length engageable with all the turns of 5 size to be covered by the fingers during use of the device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pratt et a1. Jan. 16, 1951 2,756,005 Franke July 24, 1956 

